Make it at home

Maybe partly because I am married to a hermit, I am a fan of trying to create versions of stuff I like out in my own kitchen. It's kinda fun, even.

One sandwich-ish place I have much love for is Roly Poly. Apparently, there was one just a few blocks from my house for awhile, but it closed. I didn't know what I was missing.

There is one kinda near work. I don't make it there as much as I would like, currently due to a lot of road construction that makes the driver kinda frustrating. But I have tried versions of my own stuff out of my own kitchen. Most of it is just stuff wrapped in a tortilla, sometimes grilled. Done a version of the Hickory Cristo.... turkey, brie, spinach, mushrooms served with a horseradish sauce. The favorite Basil Cashew Chicken is also very easy to do at home. Chicken salad, some cashew pieces and Thai chili sauce.....
Sriracha. Thai Chili Sauce. Thai Chili-Garlic Sauce. Rooster Sauce. Whatever you call it, it's good.

Easy to find in the Asian section of most well-stocked supermarkets. Espeically easy around here, with large Asian populations. Good on stir fry, pork chops, mac & cheese and anything that you would put any other hot sauce on.

For the Basil Cashew Chicken... make some chicken salad, flop it in a torilla, top with some cashews, a squeeze of hot sauce, top with lettuce, wrap and enjoy. You can also mix the sauce into the chicken salad but it turns kinda pink, and I can understand that some people have problems with pink food. Especially where chicken is involved.

Not too much happening around here. Baked, breaded chicken breasts for dinner tonight, pork chops on deck for tomorrow. I did make some pumpkin puree tonight... I'm getting a little anxious for Turkey Day to arrive. I love Turkey Day. We go over to my in-laws. Since my mother in law cooked for several years on a stove with one working burner, she was happy to have help and have me bring a couple things. It started with a pecan pie. Somewhere along the way, I started also bringing green beans. Since I love sweet potatoes but not everyone does, I was asked to bring a sweet potato dish at one point. I usually like to bring an appetizer-ish thing. I have designs this year to bring a real, rolled-crust fruit pie. And then I saw a reicpe in the new Everyday Food for a pumpkin/chocolate tart. I. Must. Have.

I do plan to take the day before Turkey Day off work so I can just focus on a day in the kitchen. It works out well, it's a long-standing tradition in the hubby's family to eat McD's the night before Thanksgiving.

So.... pumpkin puree for the tart is already done. And this weekend I stocked up on pecans that are now in the freezer, waiting for Turkey Day (I've had panics where I've been unable to find them when I put off my shopping, and I never want that to happen again).

I guess it's officially fall around here.